Coin-separator.



A. R. MOORE.

COINSEPARATOE. APPLIOAITION FIL'ED AI RJlQ, 190s.

Patented Sept. 29, 1908.

ANDREW R. MOORE, OF CHARLOTTE, MICHIGAN.

OOIN-SEPARATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 29, 1908.

, Application filed April is, 1903. Serial No. 426,819.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW R. MOORE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Charlotte, in the county of Eaton and State of Michigan,have invented a new and useful Coin-Separator, of which the following isa specification.

This invention has reference to improvements in coin se arators, and itsobject is to provide a simp e and efficient means for separating aII11X6d lot of coins of diiierent denominations into groups, each groupincluding a single denomination.

The invention comprises a suitable casing or receptacle in the interiorof which are a number of spaced diaphragms or shelves, through each ofwhich is a series of perforations, the perforations decreasing in sizein regular order throughout the several shelves or diaphragms.

In the present construction the coins are made to gravitate from onepartition or diaphragm to the next in order and the perforationstherefor decrease in size from the uppermost to the lowermost of thesaid diaphragm-s or shelves. The several shelves are spaced apart toform compartments for the reception of the coins, each compartmentretaining the coins of'a predetermined denomination. At one side all ofthe compartments open into a common passage, and the openings arenormally closed by springretained doors which are operatable from theexterior of the casing.

There are a number of removable receptacles provided fitting the lowerend of the common passageway so that when the coins have beenseparatedinto the characteristic compartments any one of the doors maybe opened and the' coins in the corresponding compartment may be allowedto gravitate into the passageway and so into the receptacle insertedtherein. There are as many receptacles as there are compartments, andconsequently each receptacle may be made to receive the coins of onedenomination only and then be removed from the device and anotherreceptacle inserted. The invention will be best understood from aconsideration of the following detail description taken inconnection'with the accompanying drawings forming a part of thisspecification, in which drawings- Figure 1 is a central vertical sectionof the device with some parts shown in elevation.

- Fig. 2 is a section of a portion ofthe device on the line A-B ofFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section O-D of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a plan view of theperforated shelves or diaphragms with the supporting and spacing meansshown in section. Fig. 5 is a perspective View, on a small scale, of theentire device.

In the drawings, there is shown a casing 1, which may be of any desiredshape but is indicated as cylindrical in the drawings. This casing maybe made of metal or wood or any other'desired material but is preferablymade of some soft non-metallic material, or if made of metal is linedwith soft material so that the coins on striking the casing will havethe noise deadened.

The casing is made with a top partition 2 and a bottom partition 3. Thetop partition 2 is depressed below the upper end of the casing, for apurposewhich will presently appear, and the bottom partition 3 iselevated above the bottom of the casing, for a purpose which will alsopresently appear. Between the top partition 2 and the bottom partition 3is a series of equally spaced shelves or diaphragms 4. These shelves maybe fastened at their peripheries to the inner wall of the casing andalso have a central support or connection 5 upon which is strung anumberof spacing sleeves 6, there being a spacing sleeve between each twocontlguous shelves 4. The support 5 and sleeves 6 serve to prevent anysagging of the center portions of the shelves 4 under the weight of thecoins deposited thereon, in a manner to be described.

Secured to one side of thecasing 1 is a supplemental casing 7, and for aspace equal to the distance between the top and bottom members of themain casing, the side wall of the casing is opened into the supplementalcasing 7. The supplemental casing 7 is shown as substantiallysemi-circular in cross section, but it may, of course, be of any otherdesired shape.

Below the partition 3 there is a wall 8 eX- tending from said partitionto the bottom of the casing 1. This wall is so shaped and so located asto coact with the corresponding end of the casing 7 to form asubstantially circular or cylindrical receptacle for a cup 9, thepurpose of which latter will hereinafter appear.

Each shelf 4 is formed with a series of perforations 10 corresponding insize to the size of some particular coin. If portions of the device bedesigned for the separation of whole be agitated, the coins will findtheir extending longitudinally of the casing.

coins from denominations of one dollar downi ward, the perforation inthe upper shelf will permit the passage of half dollars while retainingdollars. The perforation in the second shelf will permit the passage ofquarter dollars while retaining half dollars, and so on throughout theseries.

On each side of the casing opening leading into the supplemental casing7 is a flange 11 In these flanges are journaled a series of rods 12 onefor each compartment between the shelves 4, and the top and bottompartitions. Each rod 12 has fast thereto a gate or valve 13 designed tonormally close the passageway between one of the compartments in thecasing 1 and the interior of the supplemental casing 7. There are asmany gates 13 as there are coin-receiving compartments and each gate isindependent of each other gate. Each rod 12 extends beyond the casing 1and supplemental casing 7, and is there formed into a handle 14, bymeans of which each rod 12 may be turned upon its longi tudinal axis.Each rod 13, beyond the flange 11 at the end remote from the handle 14is formed into an angle extension or crank 15, which extension, however,is within the confines of the supplemental casing 7. The crank 15 isunder the control of leaf springs 16 arranged in a longitudinal seriesbetween the corresponding flange 11 and the adjacent wall of thecompartment 7. These springs may be taken as indicative of any type ofspring, but leaf springs are found to answer the purpose. The cranks 15are so related to the rods 12 and gates 13 that the springs willnormally maintain the gates in the closed position, and the springs areof sufficient strength to hold the gates 13 closed against any shockimparted thereto by coins within the compartments. Fast to the flange 11adjacent to the spring, is a longitudinal plate 17 serving to protectthe springs against contact with the coin.

The upper partition 2 is depressed below the upper end of the casing 1to an extent suflicient to form a receptacle or pocket for the mass ofcoins to be separated. Extending diametrically across the partitions 2is an opening or passage 18 approached on one side by an inclined wall19 formed by depressing a corresponding portion of the partition 2. Ifamass of mixed coins be placed upon the partition 2 and the structure asa way through the opening 18, which is of ample size for the passage ofthe largest coin. As the structure is agitated the largest coins will beretained upon the uppermost shelf. 4, while all the smaller coins passtherethrough. The next larger coins will be retained upon the secondshelf 4 and all the remaining smaller coins will pass therethrough, andso 'tion 2.

on down to the bottom partition 3 upon which the smallest coins of theseries will rest, provided there be any coins small enough to pass tothe last shelf 1 in the mass ofcoins deposited originally upon the partiThere are now within the several compartments groups of coins, eachgroup containing coins characteristically alike but differing from thoseof each other group. Now, to remove the coins without mixing them, thegates 13 are opened one at a time. The lower end of the supplementalcasing 7 is closed by one of the cups 9. These cups each consist of acylindrical body with one end closed and provided on its interior with acushion 20 and on the exterior of the closed end with a handle 21.,either shaped as shown or otherwise conveniently shaped formanipulation. The extent of insertion of the cup 9 into the lower end ofthe supplemental ca sing 7 may be determined by an annular bead 22, orin any other manner. There are provided as many cups 9 as there arecompartments within the casing 1 for .the reception of coins ofdifferent denomination. The cup 9 having been inserted in the open endof the supplemental casing 7 the structure is tipped at an appropriateangle, and one of the gates 13 is opened, when the coins in thecorresponding compartment will gravitate into the supplementalcompartment and ultimately fall into the cup 9. As soon as the coinshave been removed from one compartment the gate is allowed to snap shutunder the influence of the corresponding spring 16, and the cup 9 withthe coin therein is removed from the supplemental casing 7 and anotherempty cup is inserted therein, after which another gate 13 may be openedand. the coins in the corresponding compartment may be removed as wasthe ease with the first compartment. In this way the coins from eachcompartment may be removed separately without danger of mixing and thecup 9 will contain coins of a single denomination. The cushion 20 in thebottom of each cup 0 is for the purpose of preventing noise which wouldbe caused by the falling coins if the bottom of the cup were made ofmetal or other resonant material.

The coin separator may be made of any desired size, depending on theamount 31 work it is designed to do. For hand work the separator may bemade small and will then separate only smaller (piantities of mixedcoins at one time, but for large work the separator may be made ofappropriate size and may be manipulated by power to separate the coinsinto the proper denomination. Nor is it necessary to make the handles 14as continuations of the shaft 12, since these handles maybe in adeseparately and applied to the shaft in any suitable manner, so that thegates may be readily opened by a proper manipulation of the handle. infact, the structure may be variously modified in details so long as theprinciples u on which the invention operates are adhere to.

What is claimed is 1. A coin separator containing a suitable opening, agraded series of s aced screens arranged in regular order an separatingthe casing into a number of compartments corresponding to the number ofdenominations into which the coins are to be separated, a commoncompartment into which each coin receiving compartment directly opens, agate for each coin compartment normally closing the o ening to thecommon compartment, and W en open giving free passage for all the coinsfrom the respective compartments to the common compartment at oneoperation, and means for the removal of all the coins of each group ofcoins of the same denomination at one time from the common compartment.

2. A coin separator comprising a suitable casing formed with a toppartition depressed below the upper end of the casing to form areceptacle for a mass of mixed coins, said partition being provided witha passage for the coins to the interior of the casing, a graded seriesof spaced screens arranged in regular order and separating the casinginto a number of compartments corresponding to the number ofdenominations into which the coins are to be separated, a commoncompartment into which each coin receiving compartment directly leads, agate for each coin compartment between the same and the commoncompartment, normally closing the separate compartments from the commoncompartment and when open giving free passage for all the coins from therespective compartments to the common compartment at one operation, andmeans for the reception and removal of a group of coins of the samedenomination separately from the common compartment.

3. A coin separator having a spaced series of screens to form acompartment and an other compartment common to all the coin receivingcompartments and into which the first named compartment directly opens,and a normally closed gate between the separate and common compartments,and means permitting the operation of the gate individually to give freepassage for all the coins in any one coin compartment into the commoncompartment at one operation.

4. A coin separator having a graded series of screens formingcompartments, another compartment common to all the coin-receivingcompartments, gates between the separate and common compartmentsnormally closed and inactive to the coins, means for the manualoperation of the gates at will, and

a removable receptacle adapted to be inserted into the commoncompartment to receive the coins.

5. A coin separator having fixed means for separating the coins intogroups each of one denomination, means for permitting the escape of allthe coins of an individual group of separated coins at one operation toa common point of discharge, and means for separately removing thegroups of coins at the common point of discharge.

6. A coin separator having a graded series of screens formingcompartments, another compartment common to all the coin receivingcompartments and into which the first named compartments directly open,springcontrolled gates between the se arate and common compartments,normal y inactive to the coins and when open permitting the escape ofall the coins in a com artment at one operation, and a removablereceptacle adapted to be inserted into the common compartment to receivethe separated coins.

7. A coin separator comprising a suitable casing formed with a toppartition depressed below the upper end of the casing to form areceptacle for a mass of mixed coins, said par tition being providedwith a passage for the coins to the interior of the casing, a gradedseries of fixed screens arranged in regular order and separating thecasing into a number of compartments corresponding to the number ofdenominations into which the coins are to be separated, a commoncompartment into which each coin-receiving compartment leads,spring-controlled gates one for each coin compartment between the sameand the common compartment and a removable coin receptacle adapted to beinserted one at a time into the common compartment.

8. A coin separator comprising a suitable casing formed with a toppartition depressed below the upper end of the casing to form areceptacle for a mass of mixed coin, said partition being provided witha passage for the coin to the interior of the casing, and a hottompartition elevated above thebottom of V thecasing, a graded series offixed screens arranged in regular order between the top and bottompartitions and separating the casing into a number of compartmentscorresponding to the number of denominations into which the coins are tobe separated, a common compartment at one side of the casing and intowhich each coin-receiving compartment leads, a spring-controlled gatefor each coin compartment between the same and the common compartment,and a removable cup insertible and removable with respect to the commoncompartment.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ANDREW R. MOORE. Witnesses I C. E. FISHER, M. B. ALsoNEm,

